Washing machine



mmuu hm ,c. E. REDDIG WASHING MACHINE Filed Nov 4, 1921 March 30; 1926.

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March 30 1 2 Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED, STATES ra'rlala'r OFFICE.

CHARLES E.- REDDIG, OF KEW' GARDENS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T WESTERN ELEC- TRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, 013 NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WASHING MACHINE.

Application filed November 4, 1e21. Serial No. 512,706.

Kew Gardens, in the county of Queens,

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

' This invention relates to washing machines and has particular reference to machines equipped with transmission mechanisms for operating a plurality of washing mechanisms.

The primary object of the invention is to so construct the driving mechanism for a washing machine of this type as to obtain the utmost economy in machine parts and efficiency in the transmission of energy.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for simultaneously or separately transmitting to'a pair of rotary elements a reciprocating motion, which coniprises further means for reversing said elements with a smooth and even motion, preventing wear on the transmitting mechanism and lengthening the life thereof.

More specifically, a washing machine is provided with two compartments each of which contains a re'volvable washing cylin-' der or drum. The drums are operated with a reciprocating rotary motion by means of reversing gearing which is preferably situated in a space between the two compartments.

A motor aetuates the reversible gearing through the medium of a slip clutch as well as a wringer mounted on the top of the frame between the two tubs.

The drums of the machine maybe operated jointly or singly, the pressureon the gears being in either case uniformly clis'-.

tributed. Two washing operations requiring dilferentperiods of time may be carried on simultaneously in the two drums, so that upon completion of the shorter operation, one

drum may be thrown out of gear without disturbing the other.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a washing machine made in accordance with the invention showing parts of the driving mechanism in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the washing machine partly in side elevation and partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View illustrating tubs 2 and 3.

holding the driving lever against vibration.

Referringto the drawings in detail, a washing machine 1 is provided with two spaced tubs 2 and 3 having drain cocks 5 and-4: respectively. Drums 6 and 7 are rotatably mounted within tubs 2 and 3, and

are actuated by a driving mechanism located within a compartment 8 situated between The driving mechanism (Fig. 2) comprises va small electric motor 9, a shaft 10, a slip clutch 11 of any well known construction, and a driving shaft 12. A housing 13 situated intermediate the compartment 8 and secured to the walls of the tubs 2 and 3 by means of bolts, contains two compartments {)0 and 51. A beveled driving gear 14 with- 1n the compartment 50 is rigidly secured to the driving shaft 12 and meshes with a beveled gear 15 which is rigidly mounted upon a shaft 16 journaled in suitable bearings in opposite ends of compartment -51. A driving sleeve 17 keyed to shaft 16 is provided with a driving lever 18 pivoted in a longitudinal groove 25, which oscillates to periodicallyreverse the gearing in a manner analogous to that described in United States patent to T. H. Phillips, No. 1,077 ,748, No-

vember 4, 1913. A pair of facing beveled gears 19 and 20 are loosely mounted upon shaft 16 at each end of sleeve 17, and are provided with pins 21 and 22, respectively, which are alternately engaged by the driving lever 18 to actuate the mechanism through one or the other of these gears, so that one or the other is caused to rotate with the shaft 16. A second pair of facing beveled gears 23 and 24 (Fig. 1) mesh with beveled gears 19 and 20 and serve to actuate the tubs 6 and 7 as will be hereinafter described.

In Fig. 3 the driving lever 18 is shown in engagement with pin 21 of beveled gear 19, which, in turn, drives gears 23 and 24 in opposite directions. Gear 29 is now acting as an idling gear. A reversing pin 26 protruding from the face of gear 23 is so positioned with relation to driving levei; 18 that it alternately comes into engagement with the opposite ends thereof, after a predetermined number of revolutions, tilting the same out of driving'engagement with either one of the pins 21 or 22 and into engagement with the opposite pin, thus causing a reversal of the driving mechanism. Fig. 3 shows pin 26 in a position which it takes relatively to sleeve 17 when it is about to tilt the lever 18 out of engagement with pin 21. In Fig. 4 pin 26 is tilting lever 18, releasing pin 21 from engagement therewith. After the tilting of lever 18, the gears will continue to revolve until the momentum of the washing machine drums is spent, and if the gears are properly timed lever 18 will not come in contact with pin 22 to drive the mechanism in the opposite direction until the gearing has lost its motion and pin 22 has come to a complete stop. In this way unnecessary jarring is prevented. Fig. 5 shows driving lever 18 in the act of engaging pin 22 for reversing the gearing and revolving the drums in directions opposed to those in which they were operating when pin 21 was in engagement with lever 18. The gears may be so adjusted in the manner disclosed in the aforementioned Phillips patent so that they will reverse after any predetermined number of revolutions, as desired.

In order that external force or jarring will not move lever 18 out of engagement with the pin which it is driving and the driving mechanism thus rendered inoperative, a securing device 28 is provided to hold the lever in its tilted positions. Near one end of the lever 18 (Fig.6) its four edges are notched to form converging surfaces 27 which cooperate with a securing device provided in the walls 29 of the sleeve 17 for the purpose of holding the lever 18 against vibration. This securing device comprises two spring members 30, held in oppositely drilled holes 31 in the walls 29, which have soldered to their inner ends rounded members 32 which offer a smooth surface to the converging surfaces 27 of lever 18. Set screws 33 hold spring members 30 in place. The action of the spring members 30 is such that lever 18 will neither be moved up nor down until reversing pin 26 has come into engagementtherewith for shifting the same, but will be frictionally retained in. either of its adjusted positions. Chance jarring, therefore, will not prematurely shift the driving lever 18' out of engagement with the pin on the driving gear with which the lever 18 is cooperating. Furthermore, by

'fice to furnish a seat for spring members 30.

having this securing means only on one end of the driving lever 18, economy in machine operations 15 obtained for a single drilling through walls 29 of the sleeve 17 will suf- Drums 6 and 7 are actuated by the reversible gearing through suitable clutch mechanisms. The gears 23 and 24 are each provided with clutchfaces 34 adapted for engagement with pins 35 of cooperating clutches 36 rotatable with stud shafts 52 and 53 by which the drums 6 and 7 respectively are actuated. Clutches 36 are provided with annular grooves 37. U,-shaped clutch shifting levers 38, cooperating' with clutches 36 ingrooves 37 for shifting them into and out of engagement with segments 3i, are formed integrally with shanks 39 which may be rotated by suitable operating levers 40 journaled in the outer casing of the washing machine frame. By means of this mechanism either or both drums may be disengaged from the driving mechanism, as desired.

Since the construction of wringer 41 forms no part of the present invention it is not here described in detail. It consists, briefly, however, of a swinging type which may be actuated by the main driving shaft 12, its rollers being operable in either direction by means of gearing situated within a housing 42 and controlled by a lever 43.

Although the driving mechanism is described in connection with a washing ma chine, it is to be understood that the invention is by no means limited in this respect, its scope being defined solely by the terminology of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

' device of the class described comprising a driving shaft and a pair of driven shafts, a pair of facing beveled gears loosely mounted on said driving shaft, a second pair of beveled gears meshing with said first facing gears for actuating said driven shafts, manually operated clutch membersfor sep arately disengaging said second gears, a sleeve on the driving shaft intermediate said first facing gears and rigidly secured to said driving shaft, a. driving lever on said sleeve adapted to automatically alternately engage said first facing gears, and a securing device on one end of said sleeve for holding the same against vibrations, comprising spring members in said sleeve having rounded ends in contact with said lever on longitudinally opposite sides thereof, said lever having beveled edges in the portion adjacent said spring members to permit the passage of that portion of thelever between said spring members and a set screw for each spring member to regulate the tension therein.

2. A device comprising a driving shaft and a pair of driven shafts, a pair of facing beveled gears loosely mounted on one of said shafts, a second pair of facing beveled gears meshing with said first beveled gears for actuating said driven shafts, a sleeve on the driving shaft intermediate said first facing gears and rigidly secured to said shaft, a pivoted member on said sleeve and means on -one of said beveled gears for causing said pivoted member automatically to engage alternately each of said first facing gears after a a predetermined number of revolutions, and 10 manually operated clutch members for disengagin said second facing beveled gears from sa1d driven shafts. I

In witness whereof,'I hereunto subscribe name this 2nd day of November A. 1)., 15

.. CHARLES E.- REDDIG. 

